"Going to FareStart was the best investment I made for my future"

“FareStart has changed my outlook on life,” Jeff said. “I’ve learned that you always have to be stepping forward.”

Jeff remembers the moment he decided that he needed to make a real investment in his future – when he was incarcerated. 

“I just had to do something positive,” he said. “I was in this situation and I was going to make the most of the opportunities there to really learn about myself and make a change. I looked at it as a second chance.”

While inside, he started working in the kitchens and became a lead. He saw the potential in foodservice and when he learned about FareStart, he immediately took steps to enroll.

When he started the Adult Culinary Program, he took the life skills classes to heart.

“I learned a lot from Miss Joan,” he said. “She is truly an inspiration. She teaches the life skills. She taught us about working with others and owning our own greatness. We had a future and we just needed to grab it. My philosophy is to do the best I can and to be better today than I was yesterday.”

FareStart’s life skills curriculum focuses on soft skills, resume building and learning about an individual’s strengths and areas where they can improve. It is woven through the training from week one all the way through to graduation. 

“I love working with people,” he said. “I realized that I could stay in my lane, but still be a positive example to people. I made a lot of friends and I feel like this is my family now.”

Jeff secured a job before he graduated in 2015 and he is still with the same company today. 

Jeff and his family exude resilience, getting through a serious illness and financial hurdles that set them back. After saving up and moving out of Seattle, he realized a long-time dream and purchased a home.

“People always told me that I’d never own a home,” he said. “But, I knew that I could accomplish my goals if I just stuck with the grind. I think about the life skills classes a lot. I use those tools every day. Going to FareStart was the best investment I made for my future.”